On That Day
by ofshoyos
Summary: For reasons unknown why, Kageyama was ignoring Hinata. As this continues, Hinata's misery grew.
1. Chapter 1

To say that Hinata felt quite disheartened was but a misunderstanding. For the past few days, he began to notice how distant Kageyama had become as of lately, slowly slipping away from the grip their patnership had.

And each time Hinata tried to confront Kageyama regarding this, the aforementioned setter would escape under his very nose before he could even had a chance to utter a word. It displeased him, least to say. Their encounters became rather short-lived now, lasting only for a single moment as Kageyama brushed by him without a glance in the corridors, and their interactions spiraled downward from long conversations once consisted of pointless topics to complete silence.

 _Silence._

So far, that was the only thing he received.

During their practices, Kageyama faltered to pay much mind to him. With every leap that he put his energy into, and every spike that he made, his palm never managed to hit the ball. There was no lingering satisfaction, only emptiness and slight disappointment. By the time he landed and turned to look, he could only watch as the ball went to someone else. He first thought that it might have to do with his task as a decoy, then it turns out that it became so much more than that as the practice goes on and this treatment now prolonged with his usual daily life.

Every attempt that Hinata made in capturing the other's attention merely went down the flush. Thereby, it's understandable why the decoy felt agitated by this. He tried to coax Kageyama into doing the usual things that they have done; tried to have lunch with him, practice with him, challenging him to a race, share meat buns with him, and tried to walk home together with him. However, his words never got through. Kageyama simply moved on ahead without him, and upon knowing this, it felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over him.

Yet, Hinata kept his head high, reasoned that Kageyama might be having a bad day, and reassured himself that everything would go back to normal the next day.

But as each day flew by, it didn't go back to normal the next day. Or the next. And the next.

"Kageyama!" Hinata called out to him again one day, "Race you to the gym!" Without waiting for the other's response, he went ahead and picked up at a faster pace after announcing the usual declaration of their race. But once he looked behind, he noticed that Kageyama never did chase after him.

And so, followed up by the next events.

"Kageyama! How was the test?"

He was blatantly ignored. Again.

"Kageyama! Let's eat lunch together!"

He was only shoved to the side. Again.

"Kageyama! Toss to me!"

In the end, his shouts almost always went unheard. Again.

"Kageyama! Let's go back home together!"

But Kageyama was already leaving without him, his back turned to him as the distance between them grew within each step the setter takes. _Again_.

 _How long would this continue?_

Days stretched out into a week, and he slowly came to a realization that this was, in fact, not a mistake. This wasn't because of a bad day, or such the like. This was done on purpose, and it was reality. Kageyama was ignoring him. The other members of their team had taken note of this too, it seemed. The distance between them placed quite an impact on their practice matches to the point where Daichi carried out a confrontation with Kageyama, advising him to give Hinata at least some tosses. Kageyama heeded the captain's order, and for once in that week, their side finally gained victory. Even then, Kageyama remained to be adamant in ignoring him outside of practices.

Had all these attempts then been for naught but misery?

For the umpteenth time since then, Hinata could only let his gaze linger upon the familiar retreating back of the setter as he stayed rooted to his spot.

The strangling emotion which was once a mere bud inside him, it grew. It grew, and it bloomed. While the emotion, itself, may be indescribable; one thing for it to be made ascertained, Hinata embraced it with all open arms. He filed no complaints, only lets himself to drown in the suffocating sentiment as each and every ounce of negativity seeped into his body. On that day, the clouds turned a darker shade along with the sky, and little by little, droplets of rain began to spill against the ground.

Regardless of how utterly miserable he felt at this very moment, Hinata could not cry. He would not cry over such an incredibly petty thing. There was no need to do so when the sky was already doing the favor for him.

With a begrudging heart, he trudged towards the road which was the opposite from where Kageyama walked through. In his mind, he was ready to go home. But in his heart, he wasn't. Hinata so desperately wanted to go back. He wants answers. He has to- no, he needs to know the reason why Kageyama was giving him a cold shoulder, and what is that he had done to receive such treatment.

Unbeknownst to the lad, he halted in his own walk, a hand clutching onto the hem of his collar tightly as he paid no mind to his bicycle that fell to the side. Right now, he was only capable of thinking one thing, and that one thing was _how much it hurts._

His head hurts. His chest hurts. And his heart, it was _aching_.

But the worst part of all was that, he doesn't know how much longer will it take for him to deal with this pain.

* * *

Was it possible for _rivals_ to become _friends_ then turn into _strangers_? Especially when they played quite a major part in your life?

Perhaps. But if you kept thinking of them every now and then, aren't they technically _not_ strangers? In this case, Hinata doubted that Kageyama would ever become a stranger to him. Had it not been for him, Hinata probably wouldn't be the person he was today, and he never would have gotten to taste the euphoric sense of spiking Kageyama's tosses. Now, at the very least, Kageyama was tossing to him. That, itself, should be more than enough. Yet, for some reason, Hinata remained to be distasteful about the whole thing.

Hinata didn't know why was he being miserable about this whole thing. It's not as if they were friends to begin with. It was only till recently when he started to think Kageyama more as his friend- but then, this had to happen.

Another day was to be marked off the calendar, and right now, he was inside the club room along with the few others to change their clothes, readying themselves to get back home after staying back for a practice session. Kageyama long already left, and as the per usual, he didn't bother to wait for Hinata so they could walk home together.

"Oi, Shrimpy. Did you do something again to piss off the king?" Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "This has been going on for more than a week, right? Whatever you did must have been terrible since the king seems to be ignoring you now."

Then when he heard this, it felt like a slap was served to his face. A very harsh slap, and it was if the slap was to be given as a reminder of actual events happening and how it remained unresolved. He wanted to throw a glare at the blond, he really wanted to, but after he couldn't find the heart to do so, soon enough, he set an intense glaring contest with the floor in his stead; bitterness creeping in as contemplation was made on his newfound situation.

 _The king seems to be ignoring you._

That must be true, because while he still seemed to be interacting with everyone else, he seemed to be avoiding _**him**_.

"I don't know if I did anything wrong." He admits, clenching onto the sling of his bag. "I don't even know if I did something. I tried to confront him, but Kageyama... He won't tell me. He refuses to say anything. He won't even look at me."

"Hm. Sounds like you definitely did something this time."

"Tsukishima." Sugawara's firm voice cuts in, and already, Hinata could feel the worried gaze the others were casting at him.

The moment when Hinata clenched his fist more tightly on his bag, it was the moment that he knew he was at his limit. Mostly because he knew that Tsukishima's words were right. If he hadn't done anything wrong, then Kageyama definitely wouldn't be like this towards him. He wouldn't be ignoring him. Instead, they would have continued to do their little routine. As much as Hinata hated to admit, it was better to have Kageyama scolding him, calling him a dumbass rather than this complete treatment of silence. It was slowly beginning to remind him of the day when the two fought over the complications of their quick.

Truth to be told, the tension since then seemed to have grown. Did this have something to do with that day of their argument? Here, he thought that they were starting to get along. _"He's my partner,"_ He remembered telling this to Yachi. So, why? Could their relationship be worsening?

Hinata doesn't think he can handle much more of this. Deciding that he had enough of this, that he doesn't need anyone's pity, Hinata immediately picked his bag up and slung it over his shoulders, feeling more determined than ever to get his answers. The concerned yells of his teammates by then fell on deaf ears as the young one ran out of the door.

It was raining heavily again, but the boy couldn't exactly bring himself to care about the weather. He doesn't care if he was about to soak himself along with the contents in his bag. He was going to chase down Kageyama, and he would demand from him for an explanation on why he seemed so adamant in avoiding him, and whether it had to do with their last argument. He wasn't thinking properly, he knew. At this very moment, he was completely overwhelmed by his senses; both of his thoughts as well as his emotions were strewn all over the place. But overall, he felt furious.

On that day, Hinata didn't know that there were hot tears leaking through his eyes as the rain pounded heavily against his small frame, matching along with every rise of his chest and the erratic beats of his aching heart as he rode on his bicycle.

But on that day as well, Hinata didn't return back home.


	2. Chapter 2

There are quite an amount of distortions in this world, and to Kageyama, the view on sentiment of 'love' would be one of them. From what he heard, this emotion often came in various forms, and the enjoyment derived from it depends solely on individuals and each to their own. Now, mind youー Kageyama was no stranger to love, but he used to be familiar with it. The sensation kindled in him an endearment, and for that, he often hold no hesitation in having his cherish for others to be shown. At least, that was back then when he was a _child_.

Back then, Kageyama was blessed to encounter the different but essential forms of love. Parental love, friendship. Until most of that faded away from him.

During the prime time of his youthful days, not a second goes by without his parents showering him with admiration and adoration glinting in the blink of their eyes. He was pampered, lest to say. Until one day, their admiration came to a stop and so did the pampering. Who knows what could be the truth behind that one time? Kageyama was merely a child back then, however, he was quite alert for his age. He remembered how well his mother had perched by the counter in kitchen with strangled, muffled noises escaping from her throat, how the clouds in the sky cried for her, and how soft the texture of his father's shirt was as he managed to grab a fistful of the fabric; the question at the tip of his tongue as he helplessly watched the man leaving the house with a handful of bags.

Kageyama always thought that he'd come back. That is, until, Kageyama came to learn of the inevitable truth; his father, the man who showered him with adoration suddenly decided to leave them without any explanation. Upon knowing that his father left them and never to return, he was forced to be reckoned with a predicament. And on that day, Kageyama had his first taste of betrayal.

By then, the house ruptured into a frequent state of silence as his mother rarely came around in the house. Kageyama understood, of course, with his father gone, someone had to pay for their living. His mother often made sure to settle for his school fees throughout the years, and every now and then, she'd leave behind an envelope consisted of money for him due to the fact that she couldn't be there much. In spite of everything to the contrary of this reassuring gesture and his mother's unwavering love, it wasn't able to prevent loneliness from crawling in.

As if that wasn't enough, his good friends in primary school too shied away from him. He first thought that it might be due to a different reason, but alas, after several attempts of coming along with them, he was given a cold, harsh truth when they no longer requested him to join in the things they'd usually do. That was the second time Kageyama tasted betrayal.

Ever since then, Kageyama was often left to be alone.

Alone, he grew up alone in a vast, empty home. Alone, he was left to sit at his desk most of the time whilst his other classmates played among themselves.

And here, it marks the beginning of his change.

His once heartwarming personality became thwarted, and thin walls were then built around his heart. Both the betrayal of a loving parent and friends led Kageyama to think that he no longer needed to become close to anyone else. He, himself, and along with his mother, should be enough.

One day, Kageyama stumbled upon an open court nearby his home, and there he found two teams playing against each other. They seemed to be from a middle school, and according to the name of the school printed on their shirts, it was _Kitagawa Daiichi._ Out of sheer curiosity, he watched, amazed by how well the people on both sides of the court connected and played together as a team in order to win. But overall, he was fascinated by the person ( whose name he learned was _Oikawa_ ) who each time made a toss and people would jump to spike at the ball.

 _ **Volleyball,**_ he discovered was the name of this sports, and _Kitagawa Daiichi_ by then became a place he wanted to go for middle school. Without a delay, Kageyama joined the club in his primary school; every day, he'd practice at home after classes, even during the summer vacation as a way to both kill time and drive the loneliness away. And soon enough, Kageyama came to love volleyball so much he was no longer reminded about how alone he was.

... Until a harsh reminder pulled at him in the midst of an important match where he was at his utmost vulnerability.

It didn't occur to him that it would happen during the game of the sports he loved, nor would it happen in a middle school that he wanted to go since younger.

When he made a toss to his behind; a toss truly intact that he confided in himself for doing a good job at that very momentー he was taken off guard when no familiar sound reached his ears. Instead of the sound made by a palm smacking the ball against the ground, it was the sound of a ball hitting the ground. And when he turned to his behind, he froze in place, appalled to know that nobody was there. Then there with a glance thrown to the side, he was greeted by none other than a familiar sight to behold. A silent declaration was made as his teammates turned their backs to him; it was a proclamation told of which they no longer wanted him on the court with them.

That was the third time he tasted betrayal.

 _Alone._

It's these downs that caused him to hesitate, reluctance shown when it comes to making friends. It's not that he couldn't do itー okay, he couldn't do it if he were to do so, but it's more like... The idea didn't appeal to him much. In other words, he didn't exactly want to make friends. He was often left to be by himself, and he didn't mind this at all. In fact, he was content with how things are as he didn't want to suffer like he did before.

There are only two things Kageyama loved in this world, and that is his mother and volleyball. _Three_ , actually, if you included his favorite milk.

Slowly though, he was beginning to learn this mythical sentiment once more as brought upon by a friendship, and it was all due in a courtesy of his team whom he have come to accept as whole. He supposed that he would consider them as friends, no matter if one was a total dickhead ( Tsukishima ) or a pair of overly energetic boys ( Tanaka and Noya ). Asides from his father, he still has the parental love as bore by his very own mother.

Regardless, the most common concept of 'love' he heard about was one likely to be the area where he almost completely had no experience in.

An area in which it goes along with the lines of a _lover_ or _soulmate_ or whatever it is.

Kageyama, however, just like the idea of making friends, he was not appealed nor was he looking forward to this area of 'love' in the slightest. Yes, Kageyama did give a thought about this before, perhaps once or twice, but alas, even a thought itself could be either too much or too few to be contemplated uponー and the boy so happened to be on the former side.

Until one day, he found himself enamored by a smile.

A smile, so bright, it blinded him in more ways than one. A simple glance at the smile already made him felt like every problem of his vanished without a trace, lifting the unknown weight off of his chest. And to whom does this smile belong, you asked? It belonged to none other than Hinata Shoyo.

 _Hinata Shoyo._ His teammate, his partner, and his... friend.

As much as he hated to admit, Hinata was slowly gliding through the barriers he set up around his heart. Lately though, whenever Kageyama found himself in a company of the said boy, he felt a tad bit more strange than the usual. A knot would begin to tie itself in his stomach, and his heart beat so fast that he was afraid that it might leap out of his chest. It's the first time he felt like this, and therefore, it was natural for him to be scared as it caused him to do several of irrational things and become mindful of pointless thoughts. Whichever this emotion may be residing within him, it certainly managed to put him in a quite contradicting state.

What more if this only happens around Hinata? Each time Kageyama saw him, he sought to be close yet at the same time, his mind screamed at him to run away. Of course, seeing as this was Kageyama, it was a no surprise that he heeded the instructions of his mind, and thus leading him to avoid while ignoring the short ginger-haired pointedly for the past few weeks. Despite how long this thing had been going on, Kageyama knew that at some point, this would have to stop. It was Hinata he was dealing with, after all, and knowing Hinata, he refuses to give up no matter how difficult the situation called for and he's been doing exactly that the past few weeks. It was expected, to be honest.

One of these days, Hinata was probably going to get mad at him for pursuing this silly act. Cross that 'probably' out, Hinata was definitely going to be mad at him and have him cornered without an escape. Even the complications of their new quick set a long while ago brought them both to an edge. Stubborn, Kageyama clicked his tongue. Of all people, it had to be him whose self-willed personality could be easily mistaken for being hard headed.

Stillー who would have known that his _rival_ whom he intended to crush with his all might at first ended up being his _significant other?_ After a long period of neglecting his teammate, Kageyama was gradually coming to an acceptance that yes, ** _he does like Hinata._** Then again, who wouldn't like Hinata? Everything about him thrills him to the bone. Whenever he or they successfully did an accomplishment, they both would become delighted and technically beam at each other while swelling with pride.

Now, Kageyama may not be a professional when dealing with this little thing called feelings, but that in no way it precisely means that he wasn't capable of differentiating them.

He likes Hinata. As in he likes _likes_ Hinata.

It was a different kind of feeling like he loves his mother or how he loves volleyball. Kageyama was sure now. This area of 'love' that others kept talking about... It must be this strange feeling he's experiencing at the moment that's making him do incredulous things.

 _Knock, knock!_

Before he could dwell into the topic further, a knock ruptured at his door disrupted Kageyama's thoughts, causing him to sit up sharply from his bed. He was taken aback by the abrupt sounds, concern crawling in from the back of his mind. With his mother usually working at night, that also meant no one was around at home at this moment. And so, he could only let his eyes scrutinize at the slight opening of the barricade before a head comes peeking in.

"Tobio?"

Then it turns out, it was his mother. Kageyama blinked at this, a hint of surprise evident upon his face as he quickly moves to sit properly, legs dangling off slightly at the edge of his bed. "Mom? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I'll be heading off to work again soon enough." His mother told him, shooting a soft smile afterwards. Regardless of the smile though, Kageyama felt a twinge of guilt creeping in upon noticing the bags under her eyes. With a deep intake of breath, he erased his thoughts, his surprise growing once more at his mother's next statement.

"I came to tell you that I received a phone call from your friend's mother."

"... My friend?" He narrowed his eyes at this. His friend? He doesn't have that much friends. She couldn't be possibly talking about _him_ , could she?

"Hinata Shoyo, I think that's your friend's name?"

So, it is. "Oh. Hinata." He shifted uncomfortably to the side, brows knitting in confusion. For some reason, he didn't like this uneasy feeling. "His mom called?" It was strange, after all. It's not always that Hinata's mother called him, if anything, this may as well be the first time she called ever since he gave her the number to the house.

"Mhm. Hinata-kun is the boy you often walked home together with, no?"

Not much lately, but it's not like Kageyama could say that aloud. Without further ado, he merely gave a nod at the question, quietly wondering where this conversation could be leading to.

"Ah... You see. Well. Hinata-kun's mother called and she said that he hasn't come back home yet. She's wondering if you happen to know where he could be right now?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Note** : In order to avoid confusion, there will be a switching of POVs every now and then in this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Darkness_.**

The last thing Hinata remembered was a loud thud followed by pitch darkness.

Once awakened, the first thing that Hinata noticed was his limbs sprawling atop of the concrete pavement, tangled within the mess of his bicycle. Before the process of the last events could be registered, there was a faint throb that had his senses benumbed, an ache crawling into the temple of his fore from behind as he slowly began to regain his composure. Hinata blinked, a groan subconsciously escaping past through his lips as the boy tried to steady himself with a push of his hand against the ground.

Only then did Hinata know that even the slightest movement could be proven a mistake.

In an instant, a jolt of shock could be felt from his lower torso that made Hinata yelp loudly and return to his prior position. It hurts, he hissed inwardly, tears already springing from the corner of his eyes due to the unbearable pain. That is until he shifted a reminiscence of how exactly did he end up in this kind of situation- this physical pain was nothing in comparison to what he was experiencing by hand from within.

His devastation merely grew once he noted on one of the chains of his bicycle that lets him to pedal were now hung loosely. Great, his bicycle broke. How was he going to get home now, and furthermore, in this rain? Trailing his eyes further, he was appalled to be met by the sight of a tall hill glowering at him from above to which confused him first. Then it struck him.

Oh, that's right. Now, he remembered.

He had set out to find for Kageyama but faltered to do so after a series of unfortunate events.

In the midst of riding his bicycle down the hill, the bicycle broke which led him to his downfall; since the chains went loose, there was no hope in putting the brake to a stop as he went downhill, and what worsened the experience was the rain itself by making the road liable to slip. No friction, no brake and usually, that would often call for a big trouble.

The rain continued to thrum heavily against his splayed body; his clothes, along with his bag, were now soaked and covered in dirt and mud. When Hinata tried to untangle himself from his broken bicycle, he daresay that it had taken an amount of his willpower to handle the continuously pulsating pain from below.

After further inspection, he felt horrified upon acquiring a new hand of knowledge. His right ankle, it was sprained, and Hinata knows because in no way should it be twisted in a such peculiar-like manner, and there was naught but sheer ache derived from that direction. He briefly wondered if he had hurt himself at someplace else but disregarded it a moment after, considering himself to be lucky for not getting any more than a sprained ankle. ( Well, hopefully. )

Gleaming with a faintest tint of hope, Hinata surveyed his environment in search of a place that could shelter him from the rain and provide him a proper rest. Fortunately, he managed to spot a bus stop, but he grimaced at how quite far it was. Distance asides, at least, he doesn't have to return all the way back home with a sprained ankle. The thought of heading over the mountains in this heavy rain certainly didn't seem too appealing. And this place... Hinata wasn't familiar with it at all. Shoot. Was he that deep in thought to wind up being in some unknown place?

It was tormenting for Hinata to stand up, bending down also deemed to be a difficult task as he picked up his bicycle, his bag nestled on top of his shoulders before he'd begin a long journey towards his destination. A journey of which he anticipated for a more worse torture once he started sauntering towards the bus stop. Already, he felt the pain surging from every direction, and with his outfit being sticky against his skin due to the rain, it didn't help much.

Throughout the endurance made, Hinata inwardly gave himself a pat on the back as a congratulatory for tolerating. it till he arrived at the bus stop where the droplets of rain could no longer trickle against his skin, making him feel relieved. That didn't save him from dealing with its outcome, however.

"Achoo!"

Hinata sneezed, and suddenly, he felt cold; a chill by then shot down his spines as shivers racked his small frame. He must have fallen sick, he thought, especially after spending such a long time in the rain. Perking up at a remembrance, his eyes then widened once he finally noticed that the sky was completely dark, and the street lights were the only thing that illuminated the roads.

Becoming frantic, Hinata rummaged through his now soaked bag, and took out what he believed to be his phone. Then cue a loud cry when he flipped open the device.

"No! Not my phone!"

Not only did his bicycle broke, but his phone had to become damaged as well, now that the screen was completely cracked. Great, he bemused. Was the impact of his fall that great to cause his ankle to sprain and his phone to break? Ah, well. His phone was an old model, anyway, it was bound to be broken at some point. Until he realized that he had to give his mother a sort of an explanation.

"My mom's going to kill me..." Hinata groaned. Curse his rotten luck. With his phone no longer functioning, there's no knowing to what was the current time. Only then when Hinata looked around him in search of anyone, he realized that there was no one lurking by.

How funny. It seems that the longer this misery of his goes on, Hinata's despair merely grew. From one foreboding that led to another, and now, he was left to deal with aftermath of these occurring mishaps. Strangely enough, his condition at the moment perfectly described how he was.

Emotionally, physically, and mentally drenched.

Yet, at the same time, he felt content.

Heaving a sigh, the ginger-haired male proceeded to take a seat on the bench, wincing at both the discomfort brought upon by his wet clothes and his aching limbs. Looks like he has no other choice than to wait for a bus.

Forget about finding Kageyama, he can't do that when he was thrown into this miserable state. All he wanted to do now was to go home.

* * *

Kageyama was beyond worried.

A mixture of concern, alongside of anger was swirling within his chest, and his face was no more or less becoming evident of his thoughts. From one place to another, Kageyama had frantically moved about under the heavy rain, and his legs were starting to ache due to the swift, jerky movements, but he paid it no mind for he was completely indulgent within his search of a certain orange-haired male.

 _Sorry, the number you dialed is unreachable. Please try again-_

Tightening his grip on the umbrella, a scowl splayed across Kageyama's lips when there was, once again, no response from his call. Noting the time shown on the screen, the action done had only ended up concerning him even further. It was nearly eight in the evening, and this told him that it had been half an hour since he began his search. The fact that Hinata wasn't picking up his phone wasn't helping at all.

"Damn it, Hinata! What the hell are you doing at this kind of time?!"

Eyes flashing angrily at the screen of his phone for the umpteenth time, Kageyama hastily shoved it into the pocket of his coat. He was panicking, he knew- then suddenly, he was now beginning to regret everything he had done prior to events. Guilt, now in the stead of anger as it mixed with concern.

And so, he thought to himself, he should have waited for Hinata and went home together with him. He really should have.

Or better yet, if he hadn't been completely adamant in turning down every single approach of his teammate then, he would never have to worry about this happening. The tension between them since their last argument never would have grown massive than before. None of this would have happened at all.

But it did, and now, the consequences had to be paid. Perhaps the fault belonged to him for he had relentlessly avoided the other; there was a high probability that it may be the factor that resulted Hinata to be in this crisis. Alas, Kageyama could do naught but learn from his mistakes.

 _No, stop._ He mentally gave himself a slap on the face. This is no time to dwell on the past. That can come later, his top priority as of now was to find Hinata. For a while now, Kageyama had been debating on whether or not should he inform the Karasuno team of the current situation, then proceed to request for a help from them. Hinata lived so far up within the mountains, and that meant his whereabouts could literally be about anywhere. It would truly be proven a feat if he tried to find on his own.

Yet, with every passing second, Kageyama continued his individual search with a few strings of _"Just a little longer,"_ muttered under his breath now and then.

Kageyama couldn't help but think that this had happened because of him. He ought to be the one to shoulder every shred of this blame; he deserves to hold the weight of this burden due to his irrational thinking in the past few weeks. There was no logical explanation behind his actions as he ignored Hinata, what he did was no more than an act of a coward. And so, he could only compensate by doing this all by himself without brooding more worries from anyone they knew.

Caught up in the heat of the moment, Kageyama nearly failed to spot a blur of movement from the corner of his eyes to which caused him to cease in his tracks, few steps to be taken backwards as he lets his gaze trailed over to where he saw the blur.

And there, Kageyama saw the person whom he had been searching for- seated underneath the roof of a bus stop was none other than Hinata.

He almost sighed in relief. Keyword being almost. Upon capturing the sight of the other's condition, it would be a lie to say that Kageyama was not taken by even the slightest surprise. Hinata was shaking; shivering in a frivolous manner while dripping wet from the tip of his head down right to his toes, and it was so obvious to see that he was not fine. Without another second gone to a waste, Kageyama immediately broke out into a sprint, all thoughts from beforehand pushed aside as he yelled out a name.

"Hinata!"

* * *

 _"Hinata!"_

Hinata perked up at the familiar voice calling out his name. In fact, it sounded quite alike to... No, Hinata shook his head immediately. It can't be. Besides, no one was around earlier neither. "Must be the rain." He mumbled underneath his breath, proceeding to discard the thought and regarded it as nothing more than his imagination.

 _"Hinata!"_ Then, there it was again. Albeit, this time, the voice was comparably louder to before and laced with an emotion. Curiosity piqued, Hinata alas turned his head to the side only to see Kageyama running towards him.

Wait. **Who?**

"Kageyama?" Hinata muttered in disbelief, blinking a few times to ensure that this is but a dream. This had to be a dream. That can't be Kageyama; it can't be Kageyama, so, why does this person looked exactly like him? Why is this person running towards him? Why is he calling out his name, and why-

"Dumbass! What do you think you're doing out here?!" He takes back his words. That was definitely Kageyama. There was no one else in this world who would call him a ' _dumbass_ ' with that kind of tone.

For the umpteenth time on that day, Hinata tried to comprehend the scene unfolding before him. Several more thoughts came across Hinata's mind, and every single bit of them were sprouted from the confusion.

This whole scenario, for the lack of a better phrase, seemed completely surreal. He even held no qualms as Kageyama took him by the wrist, the reason mainly being him becoming too occupied within his thoughts. Like that, his mind completely went blank. The opportunity he had been searching before finally came, and he hadn't any idea what to do or how to even respond.

"Hinata. Are you even listening? I said that we have to get you out of here."

Until he was reminded of who was the root of this confusion, and how did he exactly end up in this situation. Regaining his composure once more, every trace of confusion on his face vanished, replaced by one of anger.

"Let me go."

"... Huh?"

"I said _let me go."_

Hinata tore his wrist away from Kageyama's grip. And for the first time in a long while, Kageyama was facing him.

"Oi. What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me?"_ Hinata questioned in a tone that marked disbelief.

After conducting a strange behavior for more than a whole week, and yet, Kageyama had the decency to ask if there was something wrong with him? If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. Slowly, the pent up frustrations Hinata kept were easing into his mind, and his features were becoming more prominent with an angered expression as each second came to pass.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you?"_ He raised his voice slightly at the last question.

"What are you talking about?" Kageyama shot him a confused look.

The response merely angered Hinata even further. This- this was just outright ridiculous. Kageyama was now trying to pretend that he had never ignored Hinata the whole time before? He's going to pretend that nothing had absolutely happened between them? Hinata was enraged. Correction to be made, not enraged but livid.

"You know what I am trying to say! Don't pretend you don't know anything!" He bellowed, adamantly ignoring the surprised look he received from the other, "You've been ignoring me for the past few weeks, and now, you're suddenly talking to me like nothing ever happened! The hell is with that?!"

And soon enough, one by one, the questions he's always wanted to ask were beginning to leak.

"Why have you been ignoring me?" Hinata takes a step forward. He watched as Kageyama took a step back.

"Were you trying to avoid me?" Hinata then reached out a hand to grab a fistful of his collar before Kageyama could back away further.

"Is it because of that time when I wanted us to try and do a new quick?!" He glared, seething in silence.

"It's because you don't want me to be strong enough to stand by myself on the court, isn't it?!" And before Hinata even knew it, he was up on his toes, almost shouting into the other's face. The proximity between them was close now. So close that Hinata could see how blue Kageyama's eyes were as his gaze pierced fiercely into them. He tried to ignore the burning pain from his ankle, mentally chanting to himself that he was perfectly okay.

On the other hand, Kageyama- Kageyama refused to speak a single word nor does he bother to look at him. This vague response only made Hinata grew desperate for his answers more than ever as he shook him roughly.

"Hey. Say something." He shook the other lightly, ignoring the small crack in his own voice. He got something in his throat, he thought, it's certainly not because of his emotions that were starting to overwhelm him. And suddenly, Hinata's vision was growing blurry. No, he wasn't crying. He was not crying, not at all. His eyes felt like they were on fire only because he was coming down with a fever, and those were definitely not tears gushing out of his eyes but droplets of water trickling due to his soaked hair.

"Kageyama! _Answer me!"_

"I don't know, okay?! Let go!" Kageyama hollered at him, trying to shake him off but Hinata refused to give in, he kept his hold on him and never did let go. "It's justー you're _ **too difficult** _ to be around with!"

Hearing this, his breath hitched, and the world by then was blocked out of his vision.

This sentiment... It was akin to the day when his team got hammered into tiny bits of fragments in their first match. For a long while, he had pored over the loss of his victory like pale gold, and Hinata was certain that this incident was bounded to nag at him from the back of his mind.

" _Difficult_ to be around with." And then, he lets go of Kageyama.

* * *

Kageyama, on the other hand, hadn't a slightest clue on how to respond to the sudden invasive of questions. Yes, whilst it may be true that he had his anticipation of Hinata being mad at him one of theses days over their recent issue, however, it could be easily said that he was taken aback by the other's outburst. He thought he was prepared to take these difficulties on at anytime, but no. It didn't occur to him even once that this one day would come so soon.

Nonetheless, Kageyama couldn't place the blame on Hinata. To have someone mistreating you for quite sometime then comes back walking in, offering an aid and pretended as if nothing ever happened, he would probably have done the same in his shoes.

Albeit, there may be one thing that Kageyama didn't expect.

He had never expected to see Hinata so _broken_.

"You're ** _too difficult_** to be around with!" He hadn't meant to shout at him nor would he ever hurt him, it was not done out of an intention. The container in which he kept his emotions inside had only begun to overflow, and soon enough, it spilled, making a bigger mess that was irreversible.

Kageyama always thought that tears did not suit a person whose smile was as equally as bright as a sunshine, especially when the said person was Hinata. But then...

The moment when Kageyama took note of the tears cascading past down his unusually pale cheeks- the moment when he captured a glimpse of that hurtful look in Hinata's eyes, that was the moment when he knew he had done the possibly hugest mistake.

" _Difficult_ to be around with." He heard Hinata repeated the words softly. The shorter male was beginning to have his grip on the former's collar loosen bit by bit, head hung low before his arms droop to dangle by the side.

"I see. Well then, I'm sorry for wasting both of our time."

And like that, he was left to watch Hinata turning his back to him and ready to retreat.

 _This scene..._ Where had he seen this scene before? Why does it feel familiar?

Then the image of his teammates' backs turned to him flashed in the back of his mind, and his eyes widened in fear at the sudden realization.

Kageyama did nothing. He didn't dare to move, didn't dare to blink. He could only hear his own ragged breathing and the loud sounds of his heart as it thrummed rhythmically against his chest. It felt like his life was sucked out of him, and there was nothing that he could do but to watch; it was as if he was suffocating.

Hinata was about to leave. He was about to leave him behind and Kageyama was going to be alone. Again.

"Wait!" In a split second done out of panic, Kageyama reached out to take a hold of Hinata's wrist, the umbrella slipped out of his secured grasp before it tumbled down to the side.

Silence befalls them, and the continuous spill of drops from the clouds along with their ragged breathing were now being the only things that filled in the void of their voices. They stayed like this for a couple of moments before Hinata tried to extract his wrist from his grip to which Kageyama merely tightened it. He knew that he had to say something; something to break this tension, something to clear up all this misunderstandings, and something that could put an end to this situation.

"Wait..." He said once more, although it was barely above a whisper this time. And Hinata seemed to have complied for he was no longer struggling.

But how? How should he do it? What should he say? Kageyama was never good when it comes to words nor having his feelings expressed. He doesn't even know how to deal with it, and not once had he ever bothered to try and consult to anyone. Emotions are troublesome- that, Kageyama would agree. But in the end, isn't that what makes them humane and why he loved playing volleyball in the first place?

A deep breath was taken in. For the sake of resolving the fight, he was going to try despite knowing that he would, for sure, fumble around his words a little later. What matters now was that Hinata has given him a chance to explain. He shouldn't let this opportunity go to a waste.

"Lately, when I'm around you..." He slowly started, "... I started finding it a bit difficult to breathe."

He thought back to those days where he captured Hinata's smiles. Regardless of the smile not being sent at his way, he remained to be enamored. At rare occasions however, when the smile is directed at him, it left him breathless.

"And I... would start feeling strange. My heart... I feel like my heart was going to explode anytime." Suddenly, he felt his cheeks becoming warm and his his ears growing hot. "I never felt this before. It's not exactly unpleasant, but it's also not pleasant." He admitted, unconsciously squeezing Hinata's wrist every now and then.

"It's scary. I thought that I might be sick first, but then, it got worse. And worst of all, it only happens around you." That was true. He doesn't feel this way whenever others were nearby. There were also times when Kageyama felt the urges to caress Hinata's cheeks, wondering how it was like to touch his skin. "Being scared, I didn't know what to do. So, I started avoiding you, but you... Always being a stubborn and stupid dumbass, you're making it too hard for me." He screw his eyes shut, allowing himself to release a little sigh, "But that time, I've been clearing a bunch of thoughts, and I've come to a conclusion."

"I think..." He could feel Hinata shifting around to turn to face him, but even so, Kageyama was adamant in keeping his eyes closed. He takes a deep inhale, then let out his next words to flow from his mouth effortlessly, "I think I'm in love with you."

There was no response coming from the other, but that was fine. Kageyama wanted a moment to calm himself ( and his stupid heart ) down for he was sure that his face is completely red. Besides, this was what Kageyama expected when he finally unravels the truth of his strange behavior by confessing. He was also expecting Hinata not to believe in any of his words.

What Kageyama didn't expect from Hinata though was a laugh.

* * *

"Wh-what?! What are you laughing for, dumbass?!"

Dismissing the other's embarrassment, Hinata continued laughing. Truth to be told, Hinata was unsure of why he was laughing either. One thing for certain though, the whole weight that he felt tugging at his heart from before was suddenly lifted. This went on for sometime more until Kageyama bonked him on the head, much to his surmise.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Hinata winced, holding his head immediately. While his laughter had stopped, that didn't prevent him from breaking out into a grin and poking out a tongue at the other, however.

"Are you really supposed to hit the people you like?!"

"You're an exception!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means that you're just hittable!"

Hinata merely snorted at this. _Hittable_. Was that even a valid word? Nevertheless, he marveled in taking the sight before him; Kageyama in a completely rigid posture, and the color his face was comparable to a ripened tomato due to embarrassment.

"So, you're in love with me?" Hinata tilted his head at this. With all the occurring events from before, it was to hard to believe this proclamation that would surely have sounded nonsensical to others. But Hinata was not them nor were they Hinata; unlike them, Hinata believed in what Kageyama had said. When he turned around to see him, he could tell from his mannerisms and the tone of his voice that he was being serious. It was so unlikely of Kageyama to act this way, hence, why he was amused rather than stupefied at the whole thing.

Kageyama didn't answer him. Instead, he lets go of his wrist ( and Hinata almost immediately misses the warmth but it's not like he would ever admit that ) and shoves them in his pocket. He didn't miss the faint blush crawling into his cheeks when he looked away.

And so, Hinata began to reflect on the reoccurring events. Whilst there may be some part left in him that was still mad at Kageyama for what he had done, he supposed that he shouldn't have expected more or less from Kageyama. He was a volleyball idiot, after all, and now that he thinks about it, it was only recently that he started working together with his teammates as a team. But for him to act this way... Could this be his first time experiencing this feeling?

 _Kageyama was in love with him._

For some reason, this thought made him feel giddy with happiness.

"I'm glad." Kageyama looked surprised after he said this, and now, they were staring intently at each other but it doesn't last for long when Hinata lets his eyes trailed onto the ground before continuing, "I'm glad that you don't hate me. Because I wouldn't know what to do if it turns out that you do hate me. Volleyball might become different for me by then. Especially since we're... We're teammates, and we're partners, and we're..."

Hinata took a deep breath before beaming up at the setter. "We're friends."

They stayed this way for a while; one beaming up at the other, and the latter finding himself falling a little more for the former. At some point though, Kageyama broke their eye contact by averting his gaze to elsewhere.

"So... Why are you out here?" Kageyama questioned before taking a moment to scrutinize him. "Your knees. They're scraped. They look new since they're bleeding."

"Eh?" Hinata glanced down at his knees to find that, yes, there were indeed few scrapes on both of his knees, and there was quite a long gash just below his cap; smeared of blood due to his still soaking condition. Odd, he didn't notice that they were there before.

"And you look like shit."

"Was it necessary to say that?"

Kageyama dismissed the vein popping out from Hinata's head. "So... Why?"

"Why what?"

"You didn't go back home. And obviously, you have gone under the rain."

Now, it was Hinata's turn to become red as he began to fidget. "Uh, well... I actually wanted to look for you... But then my bicycle kinda broke mid-way when I was going down the hill, and it was raining, so..."

"You said your bicycle broke while you were riding down a hill." He failed to notice that Kageyama had taken a step towards him.

"... Um, y-yeah?"

"Did you hit your head?"

"Ah, no? I'm not sure?... But... I did sprain my ankle."

"Idiot, this is why I keep telling you take care of yourself more properly." Before Hinata even knew it, Kageyama was right in front of him, a palm cupping one side of his face as the taller male gently brought his head down.

"Let me check." There was something in Kageyama's voice that Hinata couldn't quite place, but right now, he was too overcome by his senses due to their close proximity. His heart was beating faster, he noted, and his stomach was starting to churn as Kageyama grazed his fingers slowly through his orange locks, kneading and caressing his scalp with caution. His touches were soft, so soft that Hinata swore he'd melt right there in his spot while dozens of questions invaded his mind.

Why is Kageyama being gentle, why is _he_ feeling strange, why is he-

 _"I think I'm in love with you."_

Oh, he thought to himself. He gets it now. He gets why he felt hurt when Kageyama ignored him a long while ago. He gets why the tosses he liked weren't enough from him. He gets why he went this far just for answers as to why Kageyama was ignoring him. He gets why he rather bicker with Kageyama than being completely treated like he was nonexistent.

If this was the feeling that Kageyama was undergoing; butterflies in stomach, and a heart fluttering. Then... He was undoubtedly in **love** with Kageyama too.

"There are no signs of any swelling so far. Guess you're fine." Kageyama declared before releasing his hold on him, although he remained in his place.

Hinata, who was currently too preoccupied with what he had come to realize, only gave an absentminded nod. It was a relief that Kageyama was no longer touching him, because now he fully understands why Kageyama would want to try avoid him. This feeling was also a tad bit too much for him to handle.

"Wh-why are you here?" He stammered, trying to regain his composure due to what happened. "I mean... How did you even find me?"

"Your mom called." Kageyama answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She said you haven't gotten back home yet. So, I went out to set a search for you."

His mouth hung agape out of both astonisment and stupefier at what Kageyama said. He had set out a search for him? In this rain? And all by himself? The blocker was not at all too certain on what to feel about this. On one hand, he felt happy; on the other hand, he can't believe that Kageyama actually went this far without even knowing where he was. Yet, here he was, he managed to find him.

He refused to admit that his heart fluttered at the very idea.

"By the way..."

Hinata froze when the air around Kageyama then immediately changed.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? Do you know how long I have to search for you? Do you know how much I have to run around, looking for your stupid ass? Do you know how much you worried me? Don't even say that you forgot to check your phone or I-"

 _"G-gack!"_ Hinata took few steps back and flailed his hands around. "Ca-calm down! My phone broke, okay?!"

"Stupid. Dumbass. Idiot."

"Can you stop that?!"

"Here. Call your mom first." Kageyama handed out his own phone to which Hinata blankly stared at him. "She's worried sick about you, you know. You've been gone for a little too long. Tell her that you'll stay the night at my house."

"O-okay." After giving a few more glances back and forth from the phone to the setter, alas, he took the device into his hold and began to dial his mother's number.

* * *

"Done! Um... Thank you for lending me your phone!" Hinata handed out the phone while giving Kageyama a bow as a token of gratitude.

"No problem." Without further ado, Kageyama takes it back and put it in his pocket, scrutinizing the area they were in. So, all they needed to do now was to return back home. In this weather, however, his eyes narrowed before glancing back at the orange-haired male who was busy trying to move his bicycle then down at his ankle.

 _He shouldn't be moving too much_ , he thought to himself, silently taking heed to how restricted his movements are. It would be complicated if Hinata was to move on his own during the walk back home (especially with a soaked bag that looked too heavy and a broken bicycle) and considering that it was too dark and this was Hinata, he was easily prone to injuries. It isn't even an assumption, it was a pure fact. And so, Kageyama did one thing he ought to do.

"Kageyama? What are you- o-oi!" Kageyama had taken it upon himself to deftly lift Hinata up onto his back, carefully sliding both arms underneath the legs to settle them at each of his side. Hinata seemed to not bode well with this decision of his as he was desperately clutching onto him, an indication that told of how he had been caught off guard by the abrupt turn of events. Ah, well. It's not like Kageyama expected this to happen either. In his mind, he was only doing it for the best.

"Hey, put me down!"

"Shut up." Kageyama tightened his hold on one of Hinata's legs, "You can't go home if you're like this. You have a sprained ankle, your bicycle is broken, and it's raining. If you hurt yourself more, how are you going to play volleyball then?"

"But I can use the bus to go home? Why do you think I was at the bus stop, stupid Kageyama?"

"I doubt the bus would come soon. Why did you think I told you to tell your mom that you'll be staying at my house for tonight?"

Hinata could only pout. "So, we're walking home? Why don't we use the bus instead..."

"No. You have injuries that needs to be treated immediately." He then takes a glance around. "And like I said, the bus can come late for all we know. This area seems secluded anyway."

"But... The bicycle. It'll be hard to move it around since one of the chains kinda broke."

"I can manage." And as if to prove his point, he released an arm that was once underneath Hinata's leg and took the bicycle by the handle into his grasp, taking it along with him in his first few steps.

"Aren't I heavy though?"

"Hah? Are you kidding me? You're as light as how small you look. Now stop protesting." Maybe just not now since he had to carry some more of other things, plus Hinata was basically like a drenched rat right now. Of course, he didn't say this aloud. Ignoring the whines coming from Hinata, he lets go of the bicycle for a short moment to take the umbrella off of the ground.

"Here. Hold the umbrella." Hinata complied. And with that, Kageyama began his walk.

Excluding their banters going back and forth a few times, their walk home was mostly composed of quietness and tranquility. While the rain was still drizzling, it wasn't as heavy as before and Kageyama silently thanked for that. Peaceful moments like this spent together was what made them close than before.

Kageyama was becoming more and more exhausted with every step that he takes, although it was because of his frantic search of the ginger-haired earlier. Nonetheless, he said nothing. He kept his mouth shut even when discomfort comes crippling in due to the other's soaked clothes that was starting to seep into his own.

Ever since his confession earlier, the tension between them had died out like a kindling fire to an extinguisher. Despite not knowing what was the other's reply, if anything, he rather not shatter this peaceful moment they both were having by a giving him questions of his own. And so, he could only wonder if Hinata loved him back all through the way.

"You know." Hinata said, catching the setter's attention in instant. "For a moment there, I felt scared. I thought that you were starting to hate me."

Hearing this, Kageyama eventually slowed his pace down some more. He wanted to listening to every word that Hinata was going to say, and besides, he had a feeling it was important.

"The whole time I tried to approach you, but you kept ignoring me... In the end, I could only watch you from behind. Your back turned to me while you walk away. I could only watch you go... I mean, well, it felt like... I don't know, but it felt like you were going to leave me behind?"

Once again, the image of the people he's known turning their back flashed from the back of his mind.

At that point, Kageyama instantly came to a full stop in his tracks. A recollection of memories recalled as his grip on both the latter and the bicycle had been unconsciously tightened, albeit lasting only for a split few seconds. What Hinata described... It perfectly matched his past experiences. He turned tongue-tied, lest to say, because he never thought... Kageyama had never thought that he almost put Hinata in the same situation as he did before.

"Kageyama?..."

"... I'm sorry." Kageyama whispered loud enough for both of them to hear. "For trying to avoid you and ignoring you because..."

But he couldn't get to finish his words because Hinata was soon leaning in further onto him with arms draped around his neck. "It's okay." Hinata softly muttered, bringing his forehead to rest at Kageyama's nape, and Kageyama was trying his best not to blush at the contact. He assumed it as a sort of signal that he didn't have to explain himself.

"I... never gave you your answer." Hinata suddenly said.

Kageyama scrunched his nose in reply. "What answer?"

"I think..." His heart skipped a beat at the next words. "I think I'm in love with you too."

When Kageyama turned to look at his behind, Hinata was already looking at him with a smile that was as equally as blinding as before. There were no longer any tears stained against his face, and every trace of solemnity has been replaced by a look of contentment. Kageyama thought that must be the same way too. That was all it took to have his energy replenished and started moving ahead once again.

The coldness brought upon by the rain along with the wetness of their clothes never bothered them after that as their bodies pressed against each other. And Kageyama no longer had to ponder whether his love was requited or not, he had his answer that was reassured by Hinata whose chin was propped up on his shoulders and a head leaning against one side of his face.

On that day, Kageyama learned something new. The past was in the past; what's happened before was to be left behind, they have to move on until their journey comes to an end. Everyone was like a puzzle; an enigma made up of dozens of pieces. Back then, he learnt there were pieces can broken apart, pieces to be left behind, and pieces that could never fit. But one thing that never did learn until now was that the pieces that broke off once could be picked up to fit in the puzzle again.

On that day, together with the new pieces that made him up, he was reunited with an old piece of his own puzzle.

 _Kageyama was no longer alone._

This sudden rush of warmth inside his chest had fully enveloped him, and he basked in this little warmth as much as he could. But little did Kageyama knew that Hinata was experiencing the same thing too. They both had given each other an important piece to their own puzzle without any realization. The puzzle still has a long yet to be completed, but they'll get there eventually. Together.

On that day, it was filled of moments never to be forgotten by either of them.

...

"Kageyama? What's wrong? You stopped moving again."

"Ah. I just remembered something."

"Eh? What is it?"

"I forgot the way back home."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

When you wanted to make a sappy ending but then these two being idiots happened. :/

Okay, no matter what I do, my writing just becomes an epitome of disaster in the end. Especially in endings. I don't know how to write endings properly. Thank you for reading, nonetheless!

Now that this story is completed, I hope you all look forward to my other KageHina works! There are so many things that I want to try out with these two... Most of them has to have angst, even the slightest of it. I'm sorry. No pain, no gain.


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